LONG POND, PA. – Jeff Gordon moved into a tie for third on
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup career victories list, winning for the 84th
time when he took the checkered flag Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

Gordon led most of the final 40 laps and won for the second time
this season. His 84 wins tie him with Bobby Allison and Darrell
Waltrip for third-most in NASCAR history. Richard Petty leads with
200 wins and David Pearson is second with 105.

Gordon won in February at Phoenix International Raceway and has
multiple victories in a season for the first time since 2007.
Gordon tied Bill Elliott with five wins on the 2 ½ -mile
triangle track.

Gordon’s victory at Phoenix ended his drought at 66 races
without a win. This 11-race winless stretch was just a blip
compared to that.

“When you see what he’s done in his career, not just this
decade, not just in the 2000s, but all the way back to the ’90s,
he’s a true legend in this sport,” Kurt Busch said.

Busch, the pole-sitter, was second and Kyle Busch third.

Kyle’s Busch fun was short-lived. NASCAR announced his No. 18
Toytota failed post-race inspection with a height issue on the
left-front end. His car will be taken to NASCAR’s research and
development center.

Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five. Dale
Earnhardt Jr. continued his rebirth with a sixth-place finish. It
capped a great day for Hendrick Motorsports — first, fourth and
sixth.

Gordon, the four-time Cup champion, first won at Pocono in 1996.
He won again in 1997 and 1998, then waited until 2007 to reach
Victory Lane again.

This win was a bit more special for Gordon, who turns 40 in
August. His first order of business once he hopped out of the car
was a kiss from his daughter, Ella.

Team owner Rick Hendrick’s offseason decision to shake up his
organization has proved an early success. Gordon and crew chief
Alan Gustafson have the No. 24 Chevrolet in fantastic shape for a
spot in the Chase for the championship.

“I feel a lot better about it, that’s for darn sure,” Gordon
said.

Gordon entered the race having led a record 918 laps at Pocono
Raceway. He added 39 to the total Sunday.

Some of the early contenders fell off. Denny Hamlin, who led
early and has four wins here, ran into tire woes and dropped back
to 19th. Carl Edwards lost his grip on the points lead — his
40-point lead was sliced to six — when a bad engine knocked him
out early. He finished 37th.

Once those two were out of contention, the 500-mile race
belonged to Gordon. The Busch brothers tried to catch him, but just
didn’t have enough in the end.

“I’m giving it all I’ve got and I just can’t close the gap,”
Kurt Busch said.

Wins have been harder to get for Gordon as his career stretches
into its 20th season. He hit double-digits three straight seasons
(1996-98), but had winless seasons in 2008 and 2010.

“It’s harder and harder to win in this day and age,” Kyle Busch.
“We see it every year.”

Gordon hit a rough patch after his Phoenix victory — including
a 36th at Las Vegas and a 39th at Richmond — but a change in the
Chase format this year put an added emphasis on wins. That stamps
Gordon as a contender for that fifth title — the same number as
Johnson.

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